Letter to a Friend
by SpaceCaseWriter
Summary: First fic, one-shot. Remember when Mario got that letter from Goombella in Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door? This fic takes a look at what she thinks as she writes the letter.


**Author's Note:** Hi, y'all! Well, what do you know, I've posted my first fic- a one-shot. Yeah, I'm starting small… This idea just kind of popped in my head during a shower. Even though it probably reeks of amateur-ness, I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** The Mario franchise does not belong to me. Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door does not belong to me… well, I have a copy of the game (which is awesome!), but you know what I mean. Goombella doesn't belong to me. The letter she writes does not belong to me; it's taken directly from the game.

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Goombella stared at the blank paper in front of her, tapping her pen in a steady rhythm against Professor Frankly's desk. The U-Goom graduate's mind drifted as she wondered, not for the first time, how she was able to hold objects without any hands. It was scientifically impos—

She shook her head impatiently, irritated with herself. She needed to _focus_. Goombella hadn't seen that kindly mustachioed plumber in ages; she wanted to make this letter good. After a moment's hesitation, she lowered her pen to the paper and, with great care, began to write.

_Dear Mario,_

Okay, not a bad opening. Generic, but it worked.

_What's up? Goombella here! I'm still here working with Professor Frankly. _

Nice, casual start. She felt herself relax a bit, letting the words flow more easily from her pen to the paper as she continued.

_We beat the Shadow Queen, but there's tons of Rogueport lore we still don't get... So, my research with the professor goes on and on. _

Ugh, so true… She'd been spending waaaay too many nights poring over old books lately; in fact, if Goombella wasn't writing this letter at the moment, she probably would've been trying to decipher that new—technically ancient, but still a new acquisition—tome of lore she and Frankly had discovered in the Palace of Shadow. Still…

_With the info I gathered with you, we have lots of great leads now, though! _

Her journey with Mario really had been a huge help, despite all the creeps they'd run into along the way. She had to make sure she let him know that.

_Mario... Like I always said, every myth contains a kernel of truth. Speaking of which, know what ws in the chest that the professor recovered? You're totally not gonna believe me when I tell you. It's..._

Should she tell him? Goombella hesitated here, frowning at her letter. After a few seconds, she grinned and shook her head. She didn't want to spoil the surprise.

_A secret! Ha ha ha ha ha! But I'll tell you next time I see you. _

She sure hoped he would come to visit. She wanted to see him again—and, of course, show him everything she and Professor Frankly had discovered since the whole nearly-the-end-of-the-world fiasco and teary good-bye at Rogueport's dock.

_Koops is living peacefully in Petalburg with his dad and Koopie Koo. And, Mario... Guess what Koops wants to do now! He wants to become mayor of Petalburg and live there in peace! Can you imagine? Still, it might just be perfect for him, come to think of it. He's so much more of an adult now than when you left Rogueport! _

Koops really had grown up. It was amazing to see how far he had come; the guy had started out as hopelessly timid, but by the time they reached the Palace of Shadows, he was a whole new Koopa: confident and determined to stand up for what he felt was right. Goombella smiled and continued to write, pen now flying across the page.

_...Still, I think Koopie Koo pretty much has him wrapped around her little finger! _

Goombella almost laughed out loud as she reread that sentence. That was one thing, at least, that hadn't changed about Koops. He was still head-over-heels for his girlfriend.

_Flurrie's back on stage in a big way, and the crowds are totally ecstatic. And, the play she's doing right now is the story of our adventure! Yeah! It's called "Paper Mario"! I saw it twice! It was totally the best play ever! _

She loved that play so much; maybe Mario would like to see it when he came over to visit…

_And somehow, Doopliss has joined the troupe as an actor! Who saw that coming? His transformation skills serving him well, but it still kind of creeps me out... Oh, and little Damien? Yeah, he's fighting solo in the Glitz Pit! He says he's getting pretty close to a title match, even! Isn't that just ADORABLE?_

Goombella didn't care how macho the Yoshi tried to act; he was still that loveable little eggy-weggy hatchling.

_Oh, yeah, he's calling himself "The Great Gonzales Jr." in the ring, by the way. It's sorta silly, but kinda cute, too, don'tcha think? _

Suddenly remembering Damien's request, she added:

_Oh, and... Wait, I have to get this exactly right or he'll get like, SO mad at me... _

The Goomba paused, mentally double-checking the words, then continued to write.

_He, uh, said that he could "totally take you in the ring now, so bring it!" I guess he doesn't change... Isn't that too cute? _

She couldn't help but grin as she wrote that.

_Vivian's gone back to hang out with her sisters. Family is important, after all... Now that the Shadow Queen has been defeated, I don't think Beldam's into evil. _

She snorted. That crone still wasn't that into kindness, either. Goombella had been honestly shocked when Vivian had decided to go back to the two sisters who (Beldam in particular) had picked on her for so long.

_Oh, and Beldam also promised me she would never be mean to Vivian ever again. Yup, I think the three sirens are going to live pretty peacefully from now on... _

Koops wasn't the only one who had gained some confidence by traveling with Mario. Goombella highly doubted Beldam could walk (metaphorically speaking, of course) all over Vivian now, even if she wanted to.

_But you should totally go visit her sometime. _

She thought about adding that Mario should visit Rogueport sometime too, but she decided against it. He was sure to come back and say hi sometime… right?

_Bobbery goes out to sea every day now with Cortez... I think his soul has healed. I ran into him on Keelhaul Key by accident the other day, which was nice. He was so happy, I thought he was going to blow up on me for a second there. You know... I bet Scarlette is looking down on him and smiling right now. _

Goombella blinked back a bittersweet tear at the thought of the old sea-salt of a Bob-omb and his tragically deceased wife. The poor guy… She was so glad he'd recovered from his grief.

_Oh, and I almost forgot... Everyone on Keelhaul Key is well, and they say hello. _

Man, that had been a fun visit. So much sunshine, so much delicious fruit, so much natural beauty… A catnap on the coast, a stroll through the jungle… She'd love to just sit on the Key coast and watch the sunset right now, maybe with a Fresh Juice to drink… Realizing her thoughts had drifted off into daydreams, Goombella snapped her focus back to the letter.

_Oh, yeah... In my travels, I heard a rumor that Lord Crump and Grodus were both still alive. I guess that makes them pretty tenacious baddies, doesn't it, Mario? But they've mellowed a lot, just like Beldam has, and I don't expect more trouble. Plus, I hear Grodus is just a head, which really cuts down on mischief-making. _

Yeah, she highly doubted that those two would try to take over the world again. Nothing like a near-death experience to teach a lesson in humility… Although it was surprising they'd lived at all. That Shadow Queen had been freakin' tough. And evil, of course. So very evil.

_Speaking of miracle survivals... Guess whose favorite computer is still computing? He says he really wants to see you and Peach again! _

The sentient computer had weirded Goombella out a bit at first, but his concern for Peach and his selflessness made him grow on her anyways. The archaeologist blinked in surprise as she glanced over her now-almost-a-full-page letter. Okay, it was getting waaaay too long…

_Well, I'm totally rambling at this point, so I guess I'd better wrap it up... I just wanna say, even though things got tough, I'm grateful for our time together. And... There is one thing that kind of weigehed on me and I never got to express to you. See, I... Well... _

No, wait! She couldn't tell him that. No way. Besides, she was pretty sure Mario already liked Peach. Heart drooping at the thought, Goombella nonetheless continued her letter.

_Maybe that's best kept a secret. So, please say hi to Peach for me, OK? 'Til we meet again!_

_Your friend, Goombella._

Friend. As much as she would've liked to be more, Goombella figured she could live with that. She'd have to.

She read over her letter once more, overall satisfied. At the part where she nearly spilled her heart all over the page, though, Goombella hesitated. Maybe she should rewrite it without including that bit about what she "never got to express."

…Nah, it'd be fine. Besides, Mario probably wouldn't figure it out. Even if he did, he'd be kind enough to pretend he hadn't.

Satisfied with her creation, Goombella stuck the letter in an envelope. She could probably mail it tomorrow morning. It was—she checked the clock—holy crap, it was six in the morning already? Geez, she'd stayed up way too late. Well, since it _was _tomorrow (now today, technically) morning already, she might as well go ahead and mail this.

Without further ado, the U-Goom graduate grabbed the letter and toddled out the door.

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So, you like? If so, awesome, and feel free to review! If you didn't like it, and you have some constructive criticism for it… please feel free to review anyways, I still appreciate your input! =) Except for flames. Flames, obviously, will be ignored.


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